Talk about a Grand Slam.
Denny's CEO Kelli Valade was joined Tuesday by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Tuesday to unveil a plaque at the Silicon Valley Denny's where NVIDIA's founders hatched their idea for a chip that would enable realistic 3D graphics on personal computers.
This is a place where we fuel ideas, your story is so inspiring it will continue to inspire people at Denny's, Valade said, as she presented the plaque to Huang.
Denny's has taught me so many lessons, Huang said.
Both CEOs got their start working in diners. Valade got her first job as a waitress at a diner when she was 16. Huang got his first job at Denny's in Portland when he was 15.
I was a dishwasher, I was a busboy, I waited tables, Huang said. No one can carry more coffee cups than I can.
To fuel even more great ideas, Valade announced the Denny's Trillion-Dollar Incubator Contest - offering $25,000 in seed money for the next $1 trillion idea.
The contest is open to anyone with a creative and innovative idea that could impact the world. The only catch? The idea must originate - like NVIDIA - in a Denny's booth.
NVIDIA, the leading accelerated computing and AI company, got its start at the 24-hour diner chain known for favorites such as its signature Grand Slam combo.
In 1993, three friends - Huang, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem - met at Denny's to discuss creating a chip that would enable realistic 3D graphics on personal computers.
The Denny's just off a busy thoroughfare in the heart of Silicon Valley was the perfect place to start a business, said Huang, who lived nearby at the time with his wife and kids.
It had all the coffee you could drink and no one could chase you out, Huang told Valade.
Tuesday's event took place in a corner of the bustling restaurant - one of the most popular Denny's locations in Northern California - as families, retirees, and workers coming off the night shift piled in for plates piled high with eggs and pancakes, sausage and bacon.
Huang was among them, starting the day with a meeting where he and his table polished off a Lumberjack Slam, Moons Over My Hammy, and a Super Bird sandwich - washed down with plenty of coffee.
Huang, whose family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when he was a child, told Valade he had his first hamburger at Dennys and his first milkshake.
We make the best pancakes here, Huang said.
I love how you still say we,' Valade said.
Made fresh every day, Huang added with a grin.
Valade and Huang said Denny's can be a great launching pad, not just for great ideas, but for great careers.
Start your first job in the restaurant business, Huang said. It teaches you humility, it teaches you hard work, it teaches you hospitality.
Valade agreed wholeheartedly, who, after talking shop with Huang, checked in with diners like Alfred, who was tucking into a stack of pancakes amid the morning rush.
For people across Silicon Valley, it's the place to be. I come here every day, the retired roofer said.
Full contest details for the Denny's Trillion Dollar Incubator Contest can be found at www.dennys.com/trilliondollarincubator. Contestants can submit their ideas online or at Denny's restaurant by Nov. 21st at 8:59 am. The winner will be announced early next year.
IMAGE CREDIT: Don Feria/AP Images for Denny's
North America Stories
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
14/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
NHL Situation Room 2.0: How Sony Hawk-Eye Powers Centralized Officiating, Player...
13/01/2026
NBC Sports Ices the Audio for the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championship...
13/01/2026
DMF and MXL in practice: Which vendors are adopting it, and how fast is the ecos...
13/01/2026
CES 2026: Five Important Sports-Tech BuzzwordsThe terms highlight innovations for sports production at the showBy Daniel Frankel, SVG Contributor
Tuesday, Jan...
13/01/2026
For TGL Season 2, Unity 6 Boosts Virtual-Graphic Quality; COSM 360 Cameras Impro...
13/01/2026
Resetting Expectations? The State of the Sports Industry with Devoncroft's J...
13/01/2026
Top Row L-R: Ana Katz, Natalia Almada, Bao Nguyen, Tatiana Maslany, A.V. Rockwell, Dr. Heather Berlin
Second Row L-R: Sophie Barthes, Azazel Jacobs, Janicza Br...
13/01/2026
DoW to invest $1B in planned independently traded Missile Solutions business...
13/01/2026
L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik and Under Secretary of War for Acq...
13/01/2026
Singapore - January 13, 2026 - Nielsen today announced the appointment of Matty Lin to its Commercial Organization as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Sing...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Nine-week performance series brings music, dance, theatre, and storytelling to downtown Durham, January - March 2026 (Durham, NC) The Chamber Orchestra of the T...
13/01/2026
Berklee Launches AIMS, an Artist-Centered Summit on Music and AI Hosted by the Berklee Emerging Artistic Technology Lab (BEATL), the event will focus on the i...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
13/01/2026
NVIDIA and Lilly are putting together a blueprint for what is possible in the f...
13/01/2026
viztrick AiDi, Provided by Nippon TV and FOR-A, Powers Automatic 9:16 Cropping with Auto-Tracking and Intuitive Operation for Dynamic Streaming Content
Targ...
12/01/2026
Sports and Music Unite: A Look Back at the Operationally Ambitious FIFA Club Wor...
12/01/2026
Nielsen Panel Discussion Highlights World Cup Impact for FOX, Telemundo, MetLife...
12/01/2026
FIFA President Infantino Highlights How AI Will Impact 2026 FIFA World Cup and B...
12/01/2026
Baltimore Ravens' Jack Dana on Telling a Better Story With Media Management ...
12/01/2026
FOX Sports' Brad Cheney on Spectrum Debate's Impact on the Sports-Produc...
12/01/2026
Australia and New Zealand VP Alan Clements shares L3Harris' leadership insig...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
Berklee International Folk Festival Celebrates 40 Years Featuring Grammy-winning alumna Arooj Aftab, the milestone concert and weeklong festival marks four de...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
12/01/2026
Back to All News
Kento Nakajima To Star in Netflix Manga Adaptation S&X', ...
12/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Celebrates Partnership and Progress at Fort Monmouth Closing Ceremony
Governor Phil Murphy, Netflix co-CEO, and Governor-elect Mikie ...
12/01/2026
Back to All News
WWE By the Numbers: Celebrating One Year on Netflix
From left to right: Rey Mysterio, Intercontinental Champion John Cena and Sheamus celebr...
10/01/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
10/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
10/01/2026
Back to All News
Connection and Youth Defined: The Ramparts of Ice Brings a Hea...
09/01/2026
Rock-It Sports' Deron Brown & Laura Rowlands on Launching a New Brand, Suppl...
09/01/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery's Chris Brown on the Broadcaster's First French O...
09/01/2026
NFL Playoffs 2026: CBS Sports Travels to Jacksonville With Packed Arsenal of Pro...
09/01/2026
NFL Playoffs 2026: NBC Sports Is Set To Roll Out New Scorebar, Insert Graphics T...
09/01/2026
NFL Playoffs 2026: Prime Video Production Team Caps Historic Season With Iconic ...
09/01/2026
NFL Playoffs 2026: FOX Sports Kicks Off Postseason Slate With Two-Game Wild Card...
09/01/2026
NFL Playoffs 2026: ESPN's Run Brings Monday Night Football' Flagship Op...
Talk about a Grand Slam.
